The City of Berkeley celebrated its first day as an official Tree City USA today by planting 13 young trees on and around Thousand Oaks Elementary School in North Berkeley. In a joint City and Berkeley Unified School District effort, Thousand Oaks students learned about the critical importance of trees in our environment, as well as proper tree planting techniques from local expert arborists, school district employees and Berkeley Parks Department staff.

Friends of King Park, Jeanine Strickland (center) and Lessly Field (right), join Laurie Capitelli and friends to celebrate the newest addition to King Park. A donation from the Berkeley Montessori School, the structure was located by the friends of the park. Thanks to them and the efforts of City staff and the District 5 office, the structure is now an important complement to the park's other features.